Summer Sixteen

all summer sixteen…all summer sixteen

We’ve just hit September and just like that my summer in Rhode Island has come to a close. I’ve just gotten back to steamy Dubai with a whole load of unpacking to do and a severe case of jet lag. Ah the glorious New England summer came and went so fast in a blink of an eye. The summer was full of fun excursions all over my little state discovering new spots and revisiting old favorites. During my husband’s visit we enjoyed bike rides on the East Bay Bike Path, marshmallow roasting & star gazing in the backyard, hiking on the trails near my house, oysters galore, and a lovely long weekend in my fave NYC as well as a couple days in Boston. Another few weeks were spent with my sister, bro-in-law and cute nephew Ilan (he’s quite the handful). The rest of my days were spent frolicking around Providence with my parents, farm hopping, home chilling, shopping way more than I should have, taking in as much oxygen as possible, feeding my love for coffee with a barista fundamentals course, antique’ing, and a wee bit of cooking. Usually my summers are full of kitchen experiments, but tbh this summer I just needed a little break from it all. I rarely get to enjoy mom’s cooking or anyone’s cooking for that matter, so I took a back seat and indulged in being fed!

PS did I forget to mention the Drake & Future concert in Boston my sister and I went to? Seriously beyond LIT.

Sharing some of my favorite moments from the summer:

home sweet home. this is the home I grew up in and my parents have been here for more than thirty years

heavenly fruit & veg from local Rhode Island farms

you can’t come to New England and not indulge in our seafood. Rhode Island is home to classics such as clam cakes and stuffies. Clam cakes are similar to fritters but have a more cake-like consistency and stuffies are made with quahogs (a hard shelled clam only found in Rhode Island) mixed with bread crumbs, herbs & spices and then put back into the shell for serving. A true Rhode Island dish

towering pine trees in our backyard. these look so beautiful when they’re covered in snow during the winter

a zucchini flower, tomato, & basil tart I made with homemade farmers cheese